ATHENS— Britain has returned a 14th-century Byzantine icon painting stolen from a Greek monastery 30 years ago, BBC News reports. The painting, which is valued at £1 million ($1.4 million), depicts Jesus being lowered from the cross. It was commissioned 700 years ago for the St. John the Baptist monastery in Serres, in northern Greece, and hung there until 1978, when thieves cut it into six pieces and smuggled it out of the country.

In 2002, British police recovered the icon after it was offered for sale by a London-based Greek art collector. The seller failed to provide proof of ownership, prompting the High Court in London to order the painting's return. An appeal by the seller was dismissed.

The icon was briefly unveiled in Athens this week by Michalis Liapis, Greece's culture minister. It was then taken away for several months of restoration work, after which it will return to the monastery in Serres.

Britain's ambassador to Greece, Simon Gass, said the restitution of the icon is a sign of increased international cooperation in the fight against art crime. "...It is just tremendous to see the collaboration between the British and Greek systems which has allowed this work of art to be returned to Greece," he said. He added that he did not think the return set a precedent for the Elgin Marbles, which Greece has been fighting to get back from the British Museum for decades.